Day Trading Psychology, Levels & Economic Reports 10.31.2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

Hello Traders,

 

I read the following from:  http://www.daytradingpsychology.com/

and thought it was worth sharing. I think that if you know which category you fall into, it may actually help you deal with this “non human brain friendly thing called trading”……

 

THE COMPULSIVE BRAIN

People with Compulsive brains tend to get stuck in a particular thought or view of the market. Whether bullish or bearish, right or wrong, the main thing is that their minds are closed.

People with compulsive brains often don’t use stops (because they “know” what’s going to happen). They can have some amazing winners, but they will hold a losing position much longer than necessary because they are not open to the feedback the market is giving. These folks demonstrate the same closed-mindedness in daily life and tend to have very strict, by-the-book ways of doing things.

THE IMPULSIVE BRAIN

People with Impulsive brain function are the exact opposite. They tend to stop themselves out all the time and over-use the reverse button. They over-trade. Like a fish spotting a shiny lure, they can’t resist getting involved in a moving market.

In other words, they lack impulse control. This will show up not only in trading, but in conversation, driving, eating and other aspects of daily life.

THE ANXIOUS BRAIN

The third type of brain function found among traders is the Anxious Brain. These folks live with a non-specific sense of impending doom. They see the glass of life as half empty.

When they take risks in trading, they are skeptical and have a heightened sense of the obstacles in their way to success. For example, if they are long, they over-focus on resistance. Continue reading “Day Trading Psychology, Levels & Economic Reports 10.31.2014”

Mini S&P Futures outlook, Economic Reports & Levels 9.10.2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

These last few days I actually “sensed” something in the market that I have not in a long time…The intraday short positions actually had a chance to win.

What I mean is with QE and FED policy of the last few years, it turns out that anyone trying to fight the FED and go short was simply blind (myself included) so while I think in the long term this balloon can be very loud when it gets poked…..in the short term the plays have been to buy the dips.

I am hoping that we are seeing real clues that this is changing and that “normal market factors” will dictate price action but I am sure the change will not be overnight as traders been conditioned since 2009 to be “scared” of the short side (with the simple pain of watching your short positions lose… )

 

So once again I am sharing my indicators/ ALGO which gave the first sell signal on the SP500 in a few months ( see chart below). If there is enough follow through we should see 1965 BUT simply read above

829

 

Would you like to have access to my DIAMOND and TOPAZ ALGOs as shown above

and be able to apply for any market and any time frame on your own PC ?   You can now have a three weeks free trial where I enable the ALGO along with few studies for your own sierra/ ATcharts.

 

 

 

To start your trial, please visit:

 

 

http://levex.net/trading-algo/

 

HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW.  NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN.  IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM.

 

ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT.  IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NO INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING.  FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS.  THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS

 

Trading Futures, Options on Futures, and retail off-exchange foreign currency transactions involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.  You should carefully consider whether trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances, knowledge, and financial resources. You may lose all or more of your initial investment. Opinions, market data, and recommendations are subject to change at any time.

 

Continue reading “Mini S&P Futures outlook, Economic Reports & Levels 9.10.2014”

Trading Futures Spreads & Options, Reports & Levels 8.22.2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

 

 

Most of the time I write about day trading, psychology of day trading, techniques etc. but I must say that day-trading is only one way of trading futures.

Over the years I have been exposed and used the following techniques / methods in trading:
buying options
selling options
using options spreads
swing trading using futures
position trading using futures and options
break out trading
and of course day-trading….

All methods can lose money, make money and in between. Some carry higher degree of risk than others, some have better probability of success but losses can be significant….The bottom line is each trader is different and may find a method that he/she feels more comfortable with. I actually wrote an article for SFO magazine a few years back about this subject, called “trading for your blood type” ( email me for a copy if you like).

One method I like for trading futures that can be applied both for day-trading but usually more common for swing/longer term trading is futures spreads. My colleague here at Cannon, Mark O’Brien wrote a good article about it last year which you can access at:

 

Continue reading “Trading Futures Spreads & Options, Reports & Levels 8.22.2014”

Day Trading Money Management + Levels & Reports for 8.7.2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

A word or two about day-trading and money management…..

 

 

 

Trading futures and even more so, day-trading futures has grown significantly over the last few years, as seen by the increase in daily volume on some of the more popular electronic markets. (The Mini SP had 3,575,702 contracts traded on February 27th! Yes, that is 3.575 MILLION contracts….)

New traders as well as more experienced traders often wonder and search for the “holy grail” and the answer is different for each trader. Many factors influence what may be a good route for one trader versus a better alternative for another. Experience, risk tolerance, the person’s schedule, financial situation along with other factors will greatly influence what is a suitable trading method for one trader or another.

One COMMON solution different traders can implement when it comes to day-trading is what I call: “Treat your daily Profit/Loss as you would treat an open trade” and allow me to expand:

As brokers we have seen different traders survive in this business, making progress and even getting to the point of consistently finding their set ups, however their main downfall is that “one bad day” where they may give up recent gains, lose a large percentage of their account or even lose their whole account.

A practical solution for eliminating those disastrous days and giving you a better chance for survival is using “stop losses, trailing stop losses and daily stop limits” for every given trading day.

Let’s assume for hypothetical purposes that trader A is day-trading with $10,000 of risk capital. Part of her preparation for trading should be an understanding of her trading style, how active she is, how much on average does she risk per trade and other factors to help her calculate what her DAILY LOSS LIMIT should be. If you as a trader can be discipline enough to set your own daily loss limit and on days when you have reached your daily loss limit, simply stop trading for that day, you will give yourself better odds in surviving the day-trading arena and preventing days where you may loss a big portion of your account. Surviving to trade another day is a crucial element when it comes to day-trading.

Continue reading “Day Trading Money Management + Levels & Reports for 8.7.2014”

3 Points to Futures Trading Psychology & Economic Reports 7.25.2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

Many different ways to make and lose money trading futures, even more so when day trading.

Today’s action in stock index futures led me to write about:

Three main approaches out there in my opinion.

  1. The first is what I call the “trend is your friend”. A trader looks at few different time frames, looking to see if there is an established trend on longer time frame (example 60 minutes chart) and then trying to look for pull back on lower time frames and “join the trend”. Only works for certain markets and only works few times of the month as most days markets do not have an intraday trend.
  2. Second method is what we call break out. Traders will look for markets that have been in a lower volatility situation using indicators such as ADX for example. Then they will look at the chart to find what they feel are levels that if broken can fuel a stronger move in the same direction. These levels can be extracted visually looking at the chart or using highs/ lows of X periods. This method works better on some markets than others. I noticed that crude oil and gold futures tend to have better chances of a continued breakout move than the mini SP 500 for example.
  3. The third one many traders use and believe in is “mean reversion”. Stock index futures in my opinion will fall into this category many trading days and today’s session ( July 24th 2014) was a good example. Market tested yesterday’s highs, then tested lows and traded in between. Traders will sometimes use RSI or Williams %R to get a feel for when the market gets away from the mean and will use counter trend methods in this case. Use of stops when counter trend trading is even more important as you do NOT want to get caught on the few days a month when these markets do incur a break out situation…..

Continue reading “3 Points to Futures Trading Psychology & Economic Reports 7.25.2014”

Futures Trading Advice for Beginners Infographics

Do you often find yourself overwhelmed by the game of numbers that dictates the nerves of the markets? Are you often perplexed by the amusing gains and losses that investors count their wealth by? Here is an interesting way to understand commodities and trading, for all those who are inquisitive about the art of investment. In case you think commodities can be your ticket to extra earnings, the infographic presents some hard facts that you ought to rote before you fall in the temptation of trading. That said, once you have the basics by your side and the facts by your fingers, trading in commodities can be another asset class to consider.

The infographic that Cannon presents, is a graphic insight into how investing in commodities through futures should be done. It also establishes certain general tips one can follow when trading futures. The infographic uses basic examples from day to day life to explain difficult concepts of trading, a matter that generally requires expert intervention or hours of discussion so as to understand thoroughly. The basic features of futures trading have also be highlighted in the simplest possible manner, through this infographic made by Cannon Trading.

 

Futures Trading Infographics
This Infographic created by:: Cannon Trading

Continue reading “Futures Trading Advice for Beginners Infographics”

How Do I Get Started Trading Futures?

So you’ve come this far. You’ve evaluated different vehicles of investment, and you have decided to expand your portfolio to include commodity futures. Now what? You are going to need a few tools at your disposal: a knowledgeable commodity broker that is quick on their feet, a reliable, efficient platform that will get you the information you require and executes your trades on a timely basis, and perhaps most importantly a plan.

Let’s begin with the most important requirement: because futures are so highly, there’s no doubt it can be a very risky asset class and you should only be trading with “risk capital”, or money that you can stand to lose and won’t affect your lifestyle if you do. Once you’ve accumulated your risk capital and you’ve come to terms with the nature of trading futures, you can take matters a step further by doing research on what kind of trader you want to be.

Continue reading “How Do I Get Started Trading Futures?”

Entering into Futures Trading

Futures trading can be a rewarding investment for those with an in-depth understanding of a particular commodity. In essence, you will be buying or selling a commodity based on its future selling price. For example, if you can buy a futures contract at a low rate and sell it for a higher price, it’s possible to gain a significant profit in the transaction. But before wading into this highly speculative market, there are some things you will need to do and know about trading futures markets.

First, you will need to enter an agreement and create an account with a commodities broker. These brokers are licensed professionals who are allowed to trade in commodities on the trading floor of an exchange. Accordingly, they manage and mediate futures trading between buyers and sellers as well as keep track of the prices of futures contracts. Because of their knowledge of the market, they can help you make sound investments and recommend an investment strategy that suits your profile.

Continue reading “Entering into Futures Trading”

Bearish Note for the Week End | Support and Resistance Levels

Jump to a section in this post:
1. Market Commentary
2. Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000
3. Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Economic Reports for Monday May 14, 2012

 

Hello Traders,

I thought we finished the week on a somewhat bearish note….

The market tried to penetrate higher the last 3 sessions and failed each time.

Also I got a sell signal on the weekly chart which I am attaching below for your review.

I think what type of price action we will see ( if ) when we trade at 1336- 1339 area, may give us further clues about this market.

568

 

On a different note, below you will see a screen shot from today’s live trading signals I share with clients and prospects. This one is of the Mini SP 500 from May 11th 2012. We had one long signal during the early AM session before I start the service and one short signal midday, which turned out to be a good one. Of course, not all signals are as good…but if you like to come and try the service on free trial basis, please visit:

https://www.cannontrading.com/education-day-trading-webinar

1336766377919

 

Would you like to have access to my DIAMOND and TOPAZ ALGOs as shown above and be able to apply for any market and any time frame on your own PC ? You can now have a two weeks free trial where I enable the ALGO along with few studies for your own sierra/ ATcharts.

If so, please send me an email with the following information:

1. Are you currently trading futures?

2. Charting software you use?

3. If you use sierra or ATcharts, please let me know the user name so I can enable you

4. Markets you currently trading?

Continue reading “Bearish Note for the Week End | Support and Resistance Levels”